Tarragon Chicken Salad

Tarragon is such a lovely and delicate herb.  Its faintly licorice flavor makes me think of it as anise light.  Tarragon is a truly versatile herb that tastes great in so many different dishes.  It's particularly good with chicken, eggs, and fish; and you can even use tarragon in some desserts, especially those with lemons or apples.

Today's recipe for Tarragon Chicken Salad is great dish for a summer picnic.  You can put it on a sandwich, or scoop it into a hollowed out tomato, or serve it with melon slices.

I like to saute boneless, skinless chicken breast, but you can buy chicken that's already cooked or use leftovers from a roasted or grilled chicken as long as it doesn't have too many other flavors already cooked into it.  I also like to shred the chicken with a fork, but you can cut it into cubes, if you prefer.

To cook up chicken for this salad, take 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  Rinse and pat dry.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.  Heat a heavy skillet with a lid over medium heat.  Add 1-2 T olive oil.  When the skillet moderately hot, put the seasoned chicken breasts in the skillet, cover and turn down the heat to medium-low.

Cook the chicken over medium-low heat for about 3-5 minutes depending on the thickness of the meat.  Do not brown.  Turn the breasts over.  Cover and cook for another 4-6 minutes until a fork pierces the breast easily and the juices run golden as opposed to red or pink.  Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to cool for about 10 minutes.  When the meat is cool, you can chop it or shred it however you like.

Here's the recipe for Tarragon Chicken Salad:

1 lb. cooked boneless, skinless chicken meat, shredded or chopped
1/4 C chopped toasted walnuts
1/4 C chopped dried cranberries
1/4 C finely chopped celery
2 T finely chopped red onion
2-3 T coarsely chopped tarragon
3-4 T mayonnaise, or to taste
1 t horseradish (optional), or to taste
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Toss the chicken, nuts, cranberries, celery and onion in a large bowl until well mixed.

2.  Add the tarragon, mayo, and horseradish and mix well.

3.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4.  Serve or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Substitute small red seedless grapes cut in half for the cranberries for a juicier variation.

If you don't eat chicken, tarragon is a lovely addition to egg salad.  Vegan?  Tarragon goes great with tofu, too.

Today's bounty included:

From Jaime Farms:  White corn, leeks, tarragon, and baby dill;

From JR Organics:  Watermelon, early girl tomatoes, and red leaf lettuce;

From Sage Mountain Farm:  Bag chantenay carrots, romanesco squash, arugula, and salad mix;

From Silver Lake Farms:  Basil seedlings;

From Sweet Tree Farms:  White nectarines and dino egg pluots; and

From Weiser Family Farms:  Melons, baby beets, and laker baker potatoes.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Grilled Corn Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

I've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of our first corn of the season.  So, I was delighted to see three beautiful ears of white corn in today's box.  Corn is best eaten as soon as it's picked.  The sweet sugar begins to turn to blander starch almost immediately after the ear is plucked from the stalk, so always buy the freshest corn you can get and eat it right away.

I've been thinking about corn salads for weeks.  When I came home this afternoon, I turned on the grill, pulled the husks and silk off the corn, rubbed the ears with a little olive oil, and put the corn on the hot grill for about 10 minutes, rotating the ears two or three times during cooking.  Then I took the corn off the grill and let it cool.

In the meantime, I finely chopped a little red onion, pasilla pepper, and fresh chives.  Pasilla peppers can be hot, but the hotness is in the seeds, so use as much or as little of the seeds as you like.  If you prefer something completely mild, you can substitute red or green bell pepper.

I also chopped up some cilantro.  If you don't care for cilantro, you can substitute fresh Italian parsley or basil.

Then I mixed up a simple lime vinaigrette using just 2 T of extra virgin olive oil and 2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice.

When the corn was cool enough to handle, I cut the kernels off the ears into a bowl and mixed in the finely chopped red onion, pasilla pepper, chives, and cilantro.  I poured the vinaigrette over the corn salad and seasoned it with salt and pepper.  And that's it!

Here are the amounts that I used:

3 ears fresh white corn
2 T finely chopped red onion
2 T finely chopped pasilla pepper
2 T finely chopped green chives
2 T chopped cilantro, or to taste
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Follow the directions above and use these amounts to make four side servings.

I nibbled a little corn when I took it off the grill and it was bursting with juicy sweetness.  This corn is so delicious, you don't need to do anything to it.  So, if corn salad is more work than you want for a mid-summer weekend, just cook the corn on a grill or in a pot of water and sprinkle it with a little sea salt, or decadently slather it with butter while it's hot, or squeeze some lime juice and sprinkle some finely-ground hot pepper over the warm ears, or try a little grated parmesan cheese on the hot ears.  It's all good.

Today's bounty included:

From Jaime Farms:  Romaine, chives, basil, white corn, and eggplant;

From JR Organics:  Tomatoes and green beans;

From Sage Mountain Farm:  Patty pan squash, rainbow carrots, arugula, purple scallions, and yellow candy onions;

From Silver Lake Farms:  Basil or squash seedlings;

From Sweet Tree Farms:  White nectarines and flavor king pluots; and

From Weiser Family Farms:  Melons.

Enjoy!

Shelley

SLF CSA Grilled Vegetables

When it's too hot to heat up the kitchen, it's grilling weather at my house.  With the right equipment, you can cook just about anything on a grill.

There are clever, fish-shaped grilling baskets for whole fish, rotisseries for meats, pizza stones for pizza, and skewers for just about anything.  But the single most useful piece of grilling equipment is a grill basket, a sturdy metal pan with sloped sides and lots of small holes.  It sits right on top of the grate.  The holes are perfect for letting juices drip down but too small to lose anything else.  And the pan can get quite hot, so you can get a nice char on whatever you're grilling.  It's ideal for grilling vegetables.

Start with a mix of fresh summer vegetables, cut them into strips or chunks, toss them in a little olive oil, sprinkle them with salt, and grill them in a grill basket, stirring occasionally, like a stir-fry.  Grill them until they're done to your liking, 10-20 minutes depending on how you like them and the heat of your grill.  It's that easy.

Some vegetables take longer to cook than others.  You can deal with this by cutting denser vegetables such as carrots into thinner pieces, or you can grill each vegetable separately until it's at its perfect done-ness.  Personally, I like that some vegetables turn out a little crunchier than others, so I just mix mine all together and grill them until there's a little char on some of the vegetables.


I like a mix of color, but you can go monochromatic if you wish.  Avoid leaves, such as spinach, kale and chard, as they tend to burn long before the other veggies are done.  Herbs are lovely and can add great depth of flavor, but they burn easily too, so add them after you take the veggies off the grill, or stir them in just before you take the vegetables off the grill.  A sprinkle or two of fine balsamic vinegar is another delicious way of dressing up your grilled vegetables.

My vegetable mix uses several of the items in today's box:  green beans, Mexican squash, carrots, and candy onions.  I threw in a little red bell pepper for extra color.  For two generous servings, I used:

1/4 lb green beans
1 Mexican squash
2 carrots
1 medium onion
1/2 red bell pepper
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Heat up the grill and grill pan.

2.  While the grill is heating, slice the vegetables and place in a bowl.

3.  Toss the veggies with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4.  When the grill is hot, pour the veggies into the grill pan and cook, stirring occasionally until done, about 10-20 minutes.

Serve hot or room temperature.

If you have any leftovers, you can toss them into an omelet or make a grilled vegetable sandwich on a fresh ciabatta roll with a little chipotle mayo.  Yum.

Today's bounty included:

From Jaime Farms:  Green beans, parsley, baby dill, and broccoli;

From JR Organics:  Red romaine lettuce and chard;

From Sage Mountain Farms:  Mexican squash, chantenay carrots, red russian kale, purple scallions, and yellow candy onions;

From Silver Lake Farms:  Basil seedlings;

From Sweet Tree Farms:  Yellow nectarines and donut peaches; and

From Weiser Family Farms:  Ogen melon.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Fieldwork for Food ! A Volunteer Work Incentive Program from Silver Lake Farms

Wanna try urban farming?  And get fresh local veggies in return?

Silver Lake Farms is now offering a volunteer work incentive program for urban farming enthusiasts in L.A.

Volunteers will have the opportunity to work with Silver Lake Farms' variety of crops: cut flowers, microgreens, edible flowers, mushrooms, and/or help with food distribution at CSA pickup, help out at farmers' markets, and/or work with seeds, soil and plants at one of our growing grounds located in Silverlake and Glassell Park.

Starting Friday, July 20, volunteer with Silver Lake Farms on a regular basis (set hours weekly or every other week).

After you've logged 20 volunteer hours, your commitment will be rewarded with a free bi-weekly CSA share (pickup every other week on Fridays in Silverlake).  Our CSA bounty comes from local farmers in L.A. and neighboring counties and includes organic fruit, veggies, greens, brown rice, goat cheese and other goodies.  

Volunteer hours musts be logged between 7/20 and 9/21.

contact: info@silverlakefarms.com for more info.

 

Mint, Mint, Mint

Many folks' experience with mint is merely as a garnish on desserts.  But mint is an amazingly delicious and versatile herb with myriad uses, both sweet and savory.  Its cool flavor is a great foil to hot chilis.  I like to chop a little mint into tomato salsas and I almost always add chopped mint to my ceviche.  Mint plays nicely with citrus - mint lemonade is a terrific summertime quaff, and mint is especially tasty with chocolate.

Today, I give you three delicious ways to enjoy mint:  Mint tea, mint-cilantro chutney, and mojitos.

Mint Tea
Mint tea is a super easy way to enjoy mint.  Simply dry the leaves, then pour boiling water over the dried leaves.  Allow to steep for 2-5 minutes, depending on how strong you like your tea.

I like to hang fresh mint sprigs from a rack.  They dry out in a few days.  When dry, remove the leaves from the stems.  Compost the stems and store the leaves in an air-tight container.  You can crush the leaves or leave them whole, your preference.  Use a tea ball or a little strainer to steep the tea.

Mint tea is also great on ice with lemon or lime, with or without sweetener.  If you like your iced tea sweet, mix up some simple syrup and keep it in the fridge.  The sugar is already dissolved in the simple syrup, no undissolved mass of granulated sugar at the bottom of the glass.  To make simple syrup:  Mix 1 C granulated sugar with 1 C water in a small saucepan.  Heat and stir until the sugar completely dissolves.  Bring to a simmer.  Cool.  Store in the fridge.




Mojitos
Mint and simple syrup are ingredients in the refreshing summer cocktail called a mojito.  There are many ways to make a mojito.  Here's one of my favorite recipes.  For each serving:

10 fresh mint leaves
1/2 fresh lime, or more to taste
2 T simple syrup (see recipe above)
3/4 C ice cubes
1-1/2 oz. white rum
1/2 C club soda

Place the mint leaves in the bottom of a glass.  Squeeze in the juice of 1/2 lime and add 2 T simple syrup.  With a spoon or a pestle, crush the mint leaves with the lime juice and simple syrup.  Add the ice.  Pour in the rum and club soda.  Stir.  Add more lime juice or simple syrup to taste.



Mint-Cilantro Chutney
If you want to get a little more adventuresome with mint, try this scrumptious mint-cilantro chutney.  It's often served with Indian food, but it's a wonderful condiment on roasted potatoes, grilled meat and fish, and practically anything battered and fried.

1 C fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 C fresh mint leaves
1/2 small onion
2-3 T water
1 T lime juice, or to taste
1 T grated fresh ginger
1-2 t chopped green chili, or to taste
1 t sugar
salt to taste

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

If you don't have a food processor, you can do this with a mortar and pestle, but it will take a little more time and energy.

Today's bounty included:

From Jaime Farms:  Cabbage, mint, and parsley;

From JR Organics:  Red leaf lettuce and Swiss chard;

From Sage Mountain Farm:  8-ball squash, dried purple Italian garlic, yellow candy spring onions, purple carrots, French breakfast radishes, and purple scalliuons;

From Sweet Tree Farms:  Yellow peaches and white nectarines; and

From Weiser Family Farms:  Baby carrots, assorted melons, and baby beets.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Raw Beet Salad

Most beet recipes call for the beets to be cooked in some fashion.  And roasted beets are among the most delicious vegetable treats.  I like to keep a few roasted beets in the fridge so that I can make a beet salad anytime.  However, raw beets make a very tasty salad as well, in a fraction of the time.  Just peel and grate the beets, mix up a quick dressing, and toss.

This beautiful salad can be eaten immediately after it's made, or you can make it a day or two ahead and allow the beets to soak up some of the flavorful citrus dressing.  Either way, this great summer salad is perfect for a picnic or a barbeque.

2C grated beets*
1T minced green shallots or red onion
2 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 T fresh-squeezed orange juice
2 T olive oil
2 t honey
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Mix the grated beets and shallot or onion in a medium bowl.

2.  In a separate small bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients until well combined.

3.  Pour the dressing over the grated beets and shallots and toss to coat evenly.  Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

*The easiest way to grate beets is in a food processor fitted with the grating blade, but it's almost as easy to grate beets using a hand grater, and there's less clean-up with the hand grater.

You can substitute 1C grated carrots for 1C grated beets if you prefer.  And you can double or halve this recipe if you would like to make more or less.

Today's bounty included:

From Jaime Organics:  Yellow and green hot-house peppers, cilantro, and dill;

From JR Organics:  Red leaf lettuce, arugula, and chard;

From Sage Mountain Farm:  Shiraz beets, 8-ball squash, kale, and purple scallions;

From Sweet Tree Farms:  Yellow peaches and white nectarines; and

From Weiser Family Farms:  Charentais melon and spring french shallots.

Happy 4th of July!

Shelley

Cherry Brandy

I had long-standing plans to go cherry picking in the Leona Valley last Wednesday, so I didn't join the Silver Lake Farms group on Thursday.  Turns out it was an early season this year due to early heat in the valley.  Many places were already closed for the year; and at the places that remained open, many trees were picked clean.  We got plenty of cherries, though, three varieties, too:  Bing, Queen Anne, and Montmorency.

I'm planning to preserve my bounty by drying cherries, making cherry preserves, and putting up some cherry brandy.  Making cherry brandy is super easy, but it has to steep and then age for several months.  Think of it as a holiday project, as it makes a lovely gift.  Or make it for yourself to enjoy when the weather turns cool again.

The recipe below is for 1 pound of cherries, but you can make half or double it.

1 lb fresh cherries with pits
1 C granulated sugar
1 C brandy
1 C vodka

1.  Wash, dry and cut open the cherries to expose the pit, but do not pit them.  Place the cut cherries in a wide-mouthed 1-1/2 or 2 quart glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.

2.  Add the sugar.  Cover the jar and shake gently to coat the cherries with the sugar.  Allow the cherries to macerate in the sugar for 4-5 hours.

3.  Add the brandy and the vodka, and stir gently until most of the sugar has dissolved.

4.  Seal and store in a cool, dry place for 2-3 months, shaking occasionally, once every week or two.

5.  In 2-3 months, strain out the fruit.  Then filter through a coffee filter.  Bottle and allow the cherry brandy to age in the bottle on a cool, dry shelf for another 2-3 months before drinking.

I made two, single-variety batches, one with Queen Annes and the other with Bings, but there's no reason you can't mix different varieties of cherries in a single batch.

You might consider adding a small piece of vanilla bean or cinnamon to the mix, but tread lightly, as these flavors can be overpowering.

Today's bounty included:

From C&D Cherries:  Cherries!

From Sage Mountain Farm:  Patty pan squash, kale, shiraz beets, chantenay carrots, red spring onions, and cipolloni spring onions;

From Jaime Farms:  Broccoli, celery, basil, and chives;

From JR Organics:  Red romaine lettuce, dasher cucumber, and swiss chard;

From Sweet Tree Farms:  Nectarines and apricots.

Enjoy!

Shelley